American mechanical engineer, inventor

Casler was the co-founder with Elias Koopman, Harry Marvin and W.K-L. Dickson of the KMCD group, which subsequently became the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company. Following an initial suggestion from Dickson, Casler developed the Mutoscope - a viewing device which used radially-mounted photographs flicked over in rapid sequence to give an illusion of movement. This instrument which was ready by the autumn of 1894, was originally intended to be a competitor to the Edison Kinetoscope. Casler next worked on the development of a camera, the Mutagraph, to provide subjects for it, and by June 1895 a prototype had been successfully tested with film. In the meantime, it had become clear that it was projected film rather than the Kinetoscope that offered the most potential for a long term business; and Casler therefore designed the Biograph projector. Electrically driven, and using wide-gauge sprocketless film, it was intended, like the camera, to be as different as possible from anything that had been patented by Edison. Dickson's knowledge of the development work done at West Orange makes it very likely that he was involved with Casler, at least at the design stage, but officially it was Casler who was announced as the inventor in both patent specifications and theatre announcements. The high quality mechanical work done by both Casler and Marvin laid the foundation for the later success of the Biograph group. Both camera and projector produced outstandingly good results, enabling the company quickly to gain a reputation for high quality, and helping it to differentiate its products from the many competitors it faced. It was by using Casler's patents as security for loans that the group was able to raise the considerable amount of capital required to begin international expansion during the 1890s.

Richard Brown